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ROCK ISLAND 



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AND ITS 



SUEEOUNDINGS, 



IN 1853. 




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CHICAGO:^/ 
DEMOCRATIC PRESS STEAM PRINT, 45 CLARK STREET. 
1854. 






EXPLANATORY. 



Office of the Chicago Democratic Press, 

Chicago, III., January, 1854. 

In October last, one of the editors of tlie Chicago Democratic Press, for 
the purpose of recreation, spent a few days in the different towns which 
cluster around that gem of the Mississippi — Rock Island. While there, 
he wrote the following letters for his paper. They were prepared with 
strict regard to accuracy in the statement of facts. For the charm of 
romance he preferred the freshness of Nature, and for elegance of diction 
the simple utterance of whatever seemed most appropriate to daguerreo- 
type upon the minds of readers the many objects of interest which fell 
under his observation, the present appearance of the " Surroundings of 
Rock Island," and the commercial and manufacturing importance which 
he believes that whole region will ultimately attain. Had he suspected 
that the jwtiality of friends would place his humble letters in a shape 
to attract more closely the critic's eye than they would probably do in 
the columns of a newspaper, it is not unlikely that an excusable vanity 
would have induced more attention to literary polish. With this brief 
explanation of the circumstances under which this little pamphlet has 
been brought out, it is submitted to such as may peruse it with the 
reiterated assurance that the statements contained in it may be relied 
upon. 



ROCK ISLAND AND ITS SURROUNDINGS. 



NUMBER I. 



Occasion for this Series — The Course to be Pursued — Situation 
of Rock Island City — The Upper and Lower Rapids — Difficult 
Navigation — Change in the Course of Trade — Law regulating 
the Direction of Commerce — Goods from Chicago — Chicago 
Newspapers wanted. 

Rock Island, Oct. 22, 1853. 
Since the commencement of the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad, 
tinder auspices which gave assurance of its early completion, the cities of 
Rock Island and Davenport have attracted very general attention, and 
the impression has become almost universal that here is to be the seat of 
a very large commercial and manufacturing interest. A knowledge of 
the general desire to obtain accurate information relative to this particular 
region of country — of the present condition and prospective growth of the 
cities and towns that cluster around the Island from which the city takes 
its name — of the manufacturing facilities afforded by the Falls of the Mis- 
sissippi — of the improvements projected by railroad companies, as well as 
those being prosecuted by individual enterprise and private capital — has in- 
duced me to spend a few days in this vicinity, to procure on the sjDot such 
information as will be acceptable to the public, and which, in the end, may 
conduce to the prosperity of a highly-favored and attractive portion of our 
own State, and of the neighboring State of Iowa. What I shall write, 
therefore, will be of a strictly practical character, didactic rather than 
speculative ; and, although the rare combination of land and water, of 



forest and prairie, of lowland and upland, which render the scenery here 
transcendency beautiful, added to the mellow dyes and softened hues of 
Autumn and the suhdued light of this glorious Indian-summer-time, 
might induce a more youthful pen to stray from those details with which 
the utilitarian spirit of the age is most delighted, yet I, strengthened 
in the power of resistance by the severe discipline of the " sanctum," will 
be in no danger of losing control of my judgment, or of forgetting the 
leading object which brought me hither. Others will come after me, to 
gather up this wealth of beauty which I now pass neglectingly over, and 
weave it into more graceful forms and lovelier pictures. The Artist for 
the Artist's work — for me, who follow a more humble vocation, more 
homely duties. 

Rock Island — I speak now of the city of that name, not the Island — is 
situated at the foot of the " upper rapids" of the Mississippi. These rapids 
consist of successive chains of rocks lying across the channel of the river, 
rising nearly to the surface in seasons of low water, and presenting very 
great obstruction to navigation. At the present time, none but the 
smallest class of boats are able to pass over them, and the passage of even 
these is attended with much difficulty and not a little risk. Between this 
place and St. Louis occur the " lower rapids," extending from Montrose 
to Keokuk, a distance of twelve miles. Navigation over the latter is quite 
as difficult as over the former. There is at present a small steamer run- 
ning between the upper and lower rapids, leaving each place every other 
day. Passengers going down or coming up on her, are taken around the 
lower rapids in carriages and wagons. Indeed, during seasons of extreme 
low water, almost all the merchandise brought up, and produce taken 
down, is either " lightered" over the rapids in scows and barges, or carted 
around by teams. I speak of these rapids for the purpose of showing 
readers, unacquainted with the facts, the difficulties which lie in the way 
of navigating the Upper Mississippi during the Summer months, and the 
peculiar necessities of this region of country for the advantages of railroad 
communication. The former have been a serious drawback to the coun- 
try's prosperity, and have very greatly retarded the development of its 
manifest resources. Nor is there any good reason for supposing these 
difficulties are likely to be removed, at least for many years to come. 
Congress has made appropriations from time to time for this purpose, but 
the sums voted have always been inadequate to an undertaking of so much 
magnitude : for when surveys have been completed and estimates made, 
the department to which the work was assigned has, without exception, 
found itself with scarcely funds sufficient for even procuring the machinery 
and other material requisite for a commencement of the work. Such is 



the nature of these obstructions, so difficult of removal, and being so 
situated as to be accessible to the operations of machinery for but a brief 
period of each year, it is not very probable that Congress will ever make 
au appropriation large enough to cover the cost of removal ; or, if it should 
do so, there is good ground for the presumption that it will be the work 
of several successive generations. I know this is not the generally received 
opinion relative to the matter, but after an acquaintance of many years 
with tin' rocks of the Mississippi, and after some considerable observation 
of the difficulties in the way of sub-marine operations for their removal, I 
• do not hesitate to put my conclusions, in the premises, upon record. 

The above facts exhibit, to some extent, the railroad wants of the whole 
region north of the lower rapids. It is sometimes said that a railroad 
outlet to Chicago will give to the country in question the choice between 
an Eastern and Southern market ; but this is only true for a part of the 
year. From December to April the Upper Mississippi is scarcely ever 
navigable, by reason of ice — from August to December, by reason of low 
water. Four months in the year the river may be relied upon ; for the 
rest, it is uncertain, full of danger, and always annoying and vexatious to 
men of business — so that, strictly speaking, the choice of markets is a 
mere fiction, except for the brief period above stated ; and it is likely so to 
remain, unless St. Louis enterprise comes manfully up to the work of 
constructing a railroad parallel to the river, which project the people of 
that city are now considering. But notwithstanding this region of coun- 
try will not at all times be able to choose between Southern and Eastern 
markets, the disadvantage is rather imaginary than real. There is a law 
underlying commercial transactions which has, in all ages, given an east 
and west direction to the movements of commerce. By land and by sea, 
whether the vehicle of transportation be the stately ship, the homely 
wagon, the more imposing locomotive, or even the caravan of oriental 
regions, such has always been the general direction, unless when deflected 
by some natural obstacle too great to be removed or surmounted. I know 
of no reason why the country of which I am speaking should prove an 
exception to the general rule. Let the steam car traverse it, at proper 
distances, in the general east and west direction, and it at once enters into 
full commercial relations with the world — it stands beside the great com- 
mercial current, rolling ever with the sun and the tide — it enters upon a 
higher destiny, and it moves onward to a more certain and a more enviable 
prosperity. What need it care for the rocks which have shipwrecked so 
many of its previous efforts, or for the ice of winter which has sent its 
steamers into an inglorious repose ! It now enjoys the constant use of a 
river which rolls onward to the sounding main, free from rocks and sands, 



free from congelation, and over which its products may pass with the 
speed of the winds, without danger of being swallowed up by the waves, 
or consumed by fire. A choice of markets is not wanted — or rather, the 
most desirable market is the one to which access will be always easy and 
safe. 

I find the- business men here impressed with the belief that their com- 
mercial relations for the future will be with the East instead of the South. 
They may not, and most probably have not, arrived at such conclusion by 
a process of thought like the above, but they have arrived at it. It is one 
of the marks of a great natural law, that men yield obedience to it instinct- 
ively, and without that mental process which is customary in determining 
upon a course of conduct governed by arbitrary rather than fixed rules. 
The law was made for man and man for the law — there is harmony and 
rhyme in all of Nature's doings. 

More goods are coming here now from Chicago than from St. Louis, 
although those from the former place have to be carted a distance of fifty 
miles. When the railroad shall have been completed all the way, and 
goods may be purchased in Chicago one day and be on the shelves of the 
purchaser in this city the next, the difference \x\\\ be much more marked. 
In this connection it may not be amiss — and if it is I will say it anyhow 
— to revert to the fact that newspapers follow the lines of commerce. 
That I think is a natural law also. I could very clearly establish the 
connection between commerce and newspapers, if it were necessary, but 
it is not ; for when facts are proving a thing, argument may safely be 
dispensed with. Business men and farmers here are wanting to subscribe 
for Chicago papers instead of those of St. Louis ; and as the Democratic 
Press pays more attention to general news, gives fuller and more accurate 
commercial reports, takes more comprehensive views — ahem ! — of the 
great questions of the day, and labors more assiduously for whatever will 
promote the sum ot human happiness, than any of its cotemporaries — 
what wonder that it should be generally sought after by men of sensible 
views and a just discrimination ? But I grow too prolix, which fault I 
will try to amend in my next. 



NUMBER II. 

Chicago and Rock Island Railroad — Effects of Railroads upon 
Communities — Increased value of Property — Rates not Specu- 
lative — The Lumber Trade — A Competitor to Chicago for this 
Business — Manufactures in Rock Island. 

Rock Island, Oct. 24, 1853. 

It is expected that the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad will be com- 
pleted to this place by February of next year. So near a realization of an 
Eastern connection has given a new impetus to almost every branch of 
business. The views of citizens have become enlarged, and they are ex- 
tending, or making arrangements to extend, their operations in a corres- 
ponding ratio. It is astonishing how the opening of a railroad through 
a country arouses the energies and developes the faculties of the people. 
Contracted ideas take their departure with the " slow coaches." Great 
enterprises, sleepless activity and liberal views, follow in the wake of the 
Locomotive. The steam-whistle is the most inspiriting of all the voices 
of the day or night, and wherever its echoes wake the old solitudes, there 
stagnation, mental, moral and physical, is no longer possible. Men now 
begin to show of what stuff they are made. Individualities stand out in 
much bolder relief. The large faculties which their possessors had suf- 
fered to lie dormant, waked now to a new life, rise above the dead level 
of society into which they had supinely sunk, and enter upon a career of 
active enterprise and useful achievement. It is thus that the introduction 
of an important improvement creates great changes in society and moves 
the whole world forward — makes small men great and great men greater. 

Consequent upon the increased activity which the near approach and 
expected early completion of the railroad has produced here, is an en- 
hancement in the value of real estate. Property in all parts of the city 
has gone up in price from twenty-five to one hundred per cent., while in 
some particular localities the rate of increase has been greater. Never- 
theless, real estate here cannot be considered as having reached a merely 
speculative value. Investments made at present prices will not fail, I think, 
to make handsome returns at no distant day. I base this opinion upon 
the belief that here, at this crossing of the Mississippi river, is ultimately 
to concentrate a vast amount of business ; and whether that concentration 
be mainly on the Illinois side, as many think, or on the Iowa side, as 
others believe, property on both sides must always bear an equalized 
value. Except for mere business purposes, it is folly to suppose that men 
will pay a much higher rate for property on the one side or the other, 



8 

when the steam ferry boat reduces the distance between to five minutes. 
Nor is the enhanced value of real estate, of which I have spoken, con- 
fined to the city. The price at which both improved and wild lands, 
contiguous to the city, and along the line of the railroad, is held, is a 
large advance upon what were the asking rates one year ago. I hear of 
some instances in which lands entered less than eighteen months since 
with warrants, costing the purchaser from 8*7-^ cents to $1.1 2^- per acre, 
have recently been disposed of at from five to ten dollars per acre. They 
are richly worth the money now paid, and the present possessors, if they 
retain them a few years, will be able to sell them at quite as large an 
advance as the preceding owners realized. 

The lumber used in this city and surrounding country is brought down 
the Mississippi from Wisconsin and Minnesota, in the log, and sawed here 
and at Moline, of which latter place more hereafter. The supply is, in 
ordinary parlance, inexhaustible, and Chicago lumber dealers will find it 
competing with them in all that portion of the State within easy distance 
of the Mississippi. Present prices in Rock Island and Moline are some- 
what lower than in Chicago. I am not judge enough of the article to 
determine which market has the advantage as respects quality. As the 
logs lie here in the water for several months before they are drawn out to 
be sawed, they become thoroughly saturated, which fact gives the freshly- 
sawed boards a quite unpromising appearance, though I do not know that 
their quality is in any respect deteriorated by this long hydropathic prac- 
tice. As the Mississippi is reached by railroads from the East, and as 
others are constructed from it toward the West, there must spring up a 
greatly increased demand for lumber, requiring a much larger investment 
of capital in the business than' is employed at present. The force in the 
pineries must be strengthened by large additions, and the number of saws 
along the river will require to be greatly increased. At this place there 
are but two saw mills. The one is owned by Messrs. J. A. & G. E. Bid- 
dison, the other by Bailey & Boyle. Of course lumber and lath do not 
accumulate upon the hands of either firm. Both these mills are driven 
by steam. The Messrs. Biddison have a planing mill in connection with 
their saw mill. I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of the 
senior member of the firm, who is a fine specimen of the thorough-going, 
energetic business man. Their establishment is not very extensive, but 
they are making arrangements for enlarging it. They design substituting 
a sixty-horse-power engine for their present one, and will add shortly a 
door and sash manufactory. That these gentlemen will make an ample 
fortune here in their business, I have no doubt. They are workers, both 
of them, and who ever knew such men not to succeed in this country ? 



9 

Mr. D. Barnes, who superintends the sawing department, understands his 
business thoroughly. 

And now that I am upon the subject, I may as well notice the other 
manufacturing establishments of the city. In this respect Rock Island 
does not fully meet my expectations. There is less capital devoted to 
manufacturing than the wants of the city and country seem to require. 
All that she has to show for herself, in addition to the establishments just 
spoken of, are the following : Foundery and machine shop of C. C. Web- 
ber ; same of N. B. Buford & Co. ; boat-yard of Bailey & Boyle ; steam 
flouring mill of Lease & Son ; and the usual quantum of harness and 
saddle, boot and shoe, tinners', blacksmiths', and other shops. The 
foundries and machine shops of Webber and of Buford & Co., are very 
creditable establishments, working from twenty-five to forty hands each, 
and turning out a large amount of capital work. But they are totally 
inadequate to meet all the demands pressing upon them. At the boat 
yard of Bailey & Boyle I noticed a single barge upon the stocks nearly 
completed — nothing more. I learn, however, that during the year a large 
amount of repairing is done here, and that a heavy force of hands is con- 
stantly employed. The flouring mill of Messrs. Lease <fc Son is not quite 
completed. It is needed here, and will doubtless do a good business. 

I promised brevity in my last, and must reserve what else I have to say 
of Rock Island to another letter. 



NUMBER III. 



Trices of Real Estate in Rock Island — Manufacturing Facilities 
— Cost of Coal and Wood — Improvements in the City — Mode of 
Crossing the Railroad Bridge — A First-Class Hotel Wanted — 
Handsome Residences — Acknowledgments. 

Hock Island, Oct. 25, 1853. 
In my last I remarked upon the enhanced value of real estate in this 
city, consequent upon the building of the Chicago and Rock Island Rail- 
road. Something more definite in regard to the prices at which such 
property is held, will doubtless prove acceptable to many of the readers of 
the Press. Illinois street is the principal business street of the city. It 
is the second street from the river, and the largest stores, the banking 
houses and hotels, are situated upon it. Lots on this street, in the heart 
of business, with very ordinary frame tenements on them, are held at $75 
per foot, front. On other streets prices are much lower, falling off in 



10 

proportion to distance from the business centre. The Chicago and Rock 
Island Railroad Company have purchased their way into the city along 
the bank of the river, as far west as Madison street. Lots 60x150, from 
where the company commenced their purchases to the boat yard of Bailey 
& Boyle, cost them, on an average, about $800 each. For the boat yard, 
which fronts six hundred feet on the river, with a depth ranging from one 
hundred and fifty to three hundred feet, the company pay $13,000. The 
whole sum expended by the company for city property, amounts to about 
$30,000. Judge Spencer has recently laid off an addition to the city on 
a portion of his lands, a few hundred yards back from the river. The 
size of the lots are 60x120 feet, and these are sold at prices ranging from 
$200 to $400 each, cash. A very handsome residence, with finely im- 
proved grounds attached, about one mile from the business centre, was 
sold recently by Mr. Harper, of this city, to Mr. Charles Buford, of Ken- 
tucky, for $10,000 cash. Two or three comfortable brick residences, not 
far from business, were pointed out to me as being in the market, at prices 
varying from $1,700 to $4,500. 

I have, in previous numbers, alluded to the manufacturing interests of 
this place. To say that they are not equal to the wants of the country, is 
merely repeating what may, with much justice, be said of every other 
Western city. The era of manufactures has not yet come in the Western 
States, though we are witnessing the faint light of its dawning. Oppor- 
tunities for profitable investment in real estate are sufficiently numerous 
and tempting to absorb the surplus capital of the country, and not until 
this drain shall have been measurably stopped will the Great West fully 
assert its independence of the Eastern lords of the loom, the forge, and 
the spindle. When capital begins to seek this kind of investment, Rock 
Island will be able to present many inducements, and will doubtless secure 
her full share. The river and railroads will place her in connection with 
a large area of country, and she has fuel to drive machinery, in close 
proximity and in great abundance. Between Rock River and the Mis- 
sissippi, coal is equally accessible, and south of Rock River the field 
extends to an indefinite distance. These mines are now worked in the 
rudest manner, and the coal is drawn to the city by teams, yet it is ordi- 
narily delivered on the river bank at eight cents per bushel (80 lbs.), or 
$2 per ton. At the present time, owing to the great demand for and 
high price of labor, it is sold at a shilling (12£ cents) per bushel, or 
$3.12£ per ton. At some future period a railway will doubtless be con- 
structed from the city to the mines, and the latter will be systematically 
and scientifically wrought, all of which will lessen the cost of the article. 
The Chicago and Rock Lsland road will also bring forward supplies of coal 



11 

from the valuable mines of the Sheffield Company, distant forty-two miles. 
Wood is worth, at the present time, $2.50 per cord. There is no reason, 
therefore, why Rock Island should not become an important manufac- 
turing- centre, but many for believing that it will. 

The railroad company have commenced the erection of their buildings 
in this city. The walls of the engine house are already up several feet, 
and I notice many hands are. engaged upon them. I presume the depot 
will be commenced in season to have it ready for the opening of the road, 
which is expected to take place in February next. The bridge across the 
Mississippi will leave the bank very near the depot, inclining up stream, 
and forming an acute angle with the road. Cars designed to cross the 
river will be run to the extremity of the track, and there be switched on 
the bridge. For greater security against accidents, the companies which 
will be connected by this bridge design keeping a locomotive for the 
special purpose of drawing trains across the river. 

I notice quite a number of improvements in progress, besides those of 
the railroad company. Among the most conspicuous are the store of the 
Messrs. Buford, extending from Illinois street to Water street, the flouring 
mills of Lease & Son, and the residences of Messrs. Andrews, Harper and 
Balmer. I am sorry to say that Rock Island is at present without a 
respectable hotel. The Rock Island House is as well kept, and guests are 
made as comfortable in it, as the size and character of the building will 
permit ; but in all the essentials of a good hotel, it is a full half century 
behind the times. It is a matter of great moment to the city to have this 
unpleasant feature remedied at once. Every real estate owner is directly 
interested in it. The immense tide of travel which is very shortly to pour 
over the Chicago and Rock Island road, will make no pause here, unless 
comfortable quarters are provided. I notice that improvements and addi- 
tions are being made on the Hadscll House, but it occurs to me that 
Rock Island must do better than even that, to retain travelers. Looming 
up on the other side of the river I see a stately edifice which I am told is 
called the Le Claire House, and which is said to be most admirably kept. 
By and by the Mississippi will be bridged, and the cars will run across in 
less than five minutes. The Le Claire House will take everybody over, 
unless quite as good a hotel can be had on this side. I think Rock 
Island real estate owners have not fully appreciated the importance of this 
matter. But perhaps I over-estimate it. Time will show. 

There are many handsome residences and tastefully laid-out grounds in 
and about Rock Island. I am especially pleased with those that lie along 
the base of the bluff, in the rear of the city. Their location is very supe- 
rior, and the grounds about them are extensive enough to admit of a free 



12 

and full display of refined taste They are severally the residences of 
Messrs. Knox, Mixter, Spencer, Drury, Gregg, Buford and Mrs. Braokett. 
There are others equally deserving of note, but I have not time to enum- 
erate farther. 

I cannot close my notices of this city ^without acknowledging the obli- 
gations I have been placed under by many of its citizens for courtesies 
and attentions far beyond my humble deservings. Especially am I in- 
debted to Hon. J. Knox, lion. J. W. Churchill, formerly of Chicago, and 
to Mr. Kelley, the very gentlemanly incumbent of the Post Office. I hope 
to have it in my power, at some subsequent period, to make manifest the 
appreciation in which I hold their kindness, by something more substantial 
than words. 



NUMBER IV, 



Ride to Camden — Camping Ground and Cornfields of Black Hawk 
— The Original City of Rock Island — State Improvement on Rock 
River: a Reminiscence of 1836 — Camden: its Water Power, 
Present Appearance and Future Prospects — Black Hawk's 
W wrn-ToWER. 

Bock Island, Oct. 25, 1853. 
"\ esterday, in company with a gentleman of this city, I rode over to 
Camden, a village of some three hundred inhabitants, situated upon Rock 
River, about four miles from Rock Island. Our road lay at the foot of 
the high table-lands which form the divide between the waters of Rock 
River and those of the Mississippi. To the right, extending away to the 
confluence of the two rivers, the eye rests upon a slightly undulating sur- 
face, flecked here and there with groves of recent growth — to the left arise 
the high bluffs of the two rivers that unite together here in a wedge-like 
shape, terminating in a single bold headland, which overlooks a wide 
extent of most beautiful country. From this point several objects are to 
be seen which form topics for profitable reflection. Hard by is the camp- 
ing ground of Black Hawk, where he had determined to make a final 
stand against the pale-faced invader of his people's hunting grounds. 
Here was one of their villages. We drove over their corn-fields, and 
found the little hillocks, of their last planting, still remaining. A young 
growth of timber stands where once waved, in all its rich luxuriance, their 
annual crop of maize. Over the8e precipitous Mull's and across the smooth 
meadows beneath, their young men followed the chase, and from the clear 



13 

depths of Rock River, which, stretches over the plain like a thread of 
silver, they were wont to supply the means for their simple repast. How 
changed now ! Gone are all those stalwart warriors. Grim destiny, with 
spectral finger, waved them onward toward the setting sun, and sternly, 
with reverted faces and hearts boiling with fiery indignation for the giant 
wrong, they yielded obedience to the mandate which separated them 
forever from their homes and the resting places of their dead. It were 
useless now to state the pro and con of the policy which the stronger race 
has pursued toward the weaker. It is done, and no condemnation of the 
past can remedy its errors — no plea of justification obliterate its injustice. 
But I had not expected to be betrayed into this. 

From this same highland may be seen the few straggling, dilapidated 
houses which mark the site of the original Rock Island City. It lies upon 
the banks of Rock River, near the foot of the Rapids, around which the 
State Government, in its Avild scheme of improvement, in 1836, undertook 
to construct a canal. Here existed one of the most magnificent of all the 
" paper cities" of that era. Some half-dozen crazy tenements, and the 
bitter remembrance of money squandered for " water and corner lots," 
are its now sole remaining monuments. A few families still reside here. 
What the majority of them do for a livelihood, I am at a loss to conceive. 
A few of them, however, make their vocations known to the passers-by. 
I noticed, scrawled on the broad side of one of the houses — "Pork BarLes 
and MeAt TuBs," and on another, " Cakes, Beer and Cicars." Truly, 
thought I, as I studied this unique orthography and rare mingling of 
" lower case" and " capitals," " the schoolmaster of this place is not only 
abroad" now, but he must have been absent a great while. 

And yet another object of interest strikes the eye of the beholder 
standing upon this eminence. On that Island, in Rock River, but a few 
hundred yards distant, are the remains of the canal mentioned above. A 
big ditch, something over a fourth of a mile long, and a single lock, only 
partially completed — that is all — all that the State has to show for some 
$70,000 squandered upon and about it. I am told the principal land- 
owner, whose ground was taken for this canal, was paid $13,000 dam- 
ages ! Another gentleman, who had been so fortunate as to become 
proprietor of a single acre across the track of the canal, was paid $1,500 
damages, having put in his claim for $6,000. But this was in the palmy 
days of 1836, and what strikes us now as supremely ridiculous, to use no 
harsher term, was regarded very differently then. Nor is the Rock River 
improvement an exception, in this regard, to the other improvements 
which the State was prosecuting at the same time. Wherever she sent 
an Engineer — wherever a son of Green Erin "took up the shovel and the 



14 

boe" — wheivwr private property was taken for public purposes — wherever 
an agent for the State .set up an office — there the same things were 
enacted, and public sentiment experienced no shock. How else could 
million- of dollars have been expended, as they were during that memor- 
able era, and the State have not a mile of finished railroad, or a half mile 
ompleted canal, to show for it? I condemn nobody — I but speak of 
those facts which all who lived in Illinois at the time saw transpire before 
their eyes, yet were so thoroughly possessed by the spirit of reckless 
prodigality which everywhere prevailed, as to perceive nothing wrong in 
it. but here we are at Camden. 

To reach this village from Rock Island, a succession of Islands have to 
be passed over, the intervening channels being spanned by bridges. The 
rapids in the main stream and the peculiar conformation of the Islands, 
have created here a very valuable water-power. If properly improved, it 
would be almost impossible to estimate the extent of manufacturing facili- 
ties which it Avould furnish. As it is, it now drives only some seven run 
of burrs and a few saws. A rude dam of brush and stone is thrown 
across from the mainland to Big Island, on the south side of the river ; 
and "the head" which is thus obtained constitutes the present available 
power. The mills are operated by the Messrs. Johnston, and by Mr. Z. 
Calbo, and are owned in part by those gentlemen, and in part by parties 
in the East. One half the power is owned by the Messrs. Dickson, who 
reside here ; the remainder by Messrs. Knox & Drury, of Rock Island, Mr. 
Cooly, of N. Y., and Mr. Gould, of Mass. 

The town of Camden does not give indications of much thrift. With 
the exception of Col. Dickson's residence, and a few other buildings, it is 
looking rather rusty, and sadly in need of the paint brush. I learn that 
its original owner regarded the property as a princely fortune ; and so it 
was and even now is, but it requires good management and a liberal 
poliev to make it such. I did not learn the price at which lots are now 
held, but 1 am told that originally so much was demanded for them that 
parties who desired making settlement there were induced to look up 
■■■ places where property was held cheaper. This, in a measure, 
accounts for so meagre a population where a large and thrifty town ought 
to stand. 

Nevertheless, the last has not been heard from Camden. So magnifi- 
cent a water-power as lies here almost unused, will not much longer be 
Buffered to run to waste. And when it is improved to its utmost capacity, 
I know of no place that will have stronger claims to the appellation of the 
Lowel] of Illinois. I was disappointed in not finding Col. Dickson at 
home, from whom I expected to obtain the requisite facts for making a 



15 

full notice of the town. What I have said is the result of a very hasty 
observation, unaccompanied by any citizen of the place sufficiently versed 
in its history to give a satisfactory account of it. I can only say that here 
are the elements of a thriving town, and it but requires the judicious 
expenditure of capital, and a liberal policy, to make it one. 

On our return to Rock Island, we visited a commandinar eminence 
known here as " Black Hawk's Watch-Tower." It rises abruptly from the 
river (Rock River) to the height of perhaps two hundred feet, and com- 
mands a vast prospect. Upon this eminence Black Hawk is said to have 
watched the incursions of hostile tribes into his territories, and here he 
obtained the first glimpse of the troops under Gen. Whitesides and Gov. 
Reynolds, deploying into the valley of Rock River, at a point nearly ten 
miles distant. Their numbers satisfied him of the folly of making a stand; 
and while they were marching to and crossing over the river, for the 
purpose of attacking him, he broke up his camp and commenced that 
famous retreat which terminated so fatally, for him and his'people, with the 
Battle of Bad Axe. 



NUMBER V. 



Moline — A Short Lesson in Geography — Magnificent Water 
Power — The "Father of Waters" as an Operative — Six Miles 
of Manufactories — Proposition for a Joint Stock Company — 
Drawbacks and Difficulties. 

Moline, HI, Oct. 25, 1853. 

A prominent business man of this place being in Chicago a few days 
since, and wishing to purchase a bill of goods, stepped into a wholesale 
store on Water street for that purpose. While engaged in making selec- 
tions, one of the proprietors, who accompanied him, inquired his place of 
residence. 

" Moline," was the response. 

'' Moline ! Ah, let me see ; where is Moline ? Is it in Wisconsin or 
Minnesota ?" 

This will never do. As our railroads progress to the Westward, Chi- 
cago dealers must betake themselves to the study of Geography ; and to 
aid them a little in this branch of their " neglected education," I propose 
telling them where Moline is and what it is. 

Moline, then, is a very charming little town, situated on the Mississippi 
river, in Rock Island county, Illinois, about three miles east of Rock 



16 

Island City, and immediately opposite the Lead of Rock Island. In pro- 
portion to iis population (1,400), it is the most important manufacturing 
point in the State, and as respects the thrift, enterprise and industry of 
its citizens, all appearances indicate that it is excelled by no other one of 
our towns, large or small. At this point the main channel of the Missis- 
sippi runs on the Iowa side of the Island. A dam has been thrown across 
the channel on the Illinois side, creating an immense water-power; and 
to this fact the village of Moline owes its existence. 

D. B. Sears, Esq., a gentleman of rare energy and much good sense, 
was the first to perceive and turn to use the local advantages of this place. 
The improvement of the water power is his work, as was also the building 
of several of the manufacturing establishments which are driven by it. 
The dam was built in 1840. Mr. Sears was possessed of but limited 
means, and consequently was not able to erect so costly and substantial a 
work as the extent of the power to be obtained would justify. It is a 
rude structure of stone, brush and timber, overlaid with a heavy layer of 
sand-stone and sand. It is wide enough to furnish a good and secure 
wagon and foot-way to the Island, and is used for that purpose. Twice, 
in seasons of high flood, has the immense pressure of water effected a 
breach through the dam, suspending all manufacturing operations and 
costing the proprietor a large sum for repairs. These reverses, together 
with the original cost of the improvements, were more than Mr. Sears 
was able to meet, and necessity compelled him to let his magnificent 
property pass into other hands. It is now owned by Messrs. Pitts, Gilbert 
.v Pitts. 

Of the extent and value of this water-power, if properly improved, it is 
difficult to form an estimate. There is nothing that I can see to prevent 
its use the whole length of Rock Island — three miles — and the same dis- 
tance on the Illinois shore. All that is requisite to secure such a result, 
i> the construction of a water-tight dam, and the building of sea-walls, so 
as to confine the water to a narrow race on each side. ( hily think of six 
miles of water power — of six miles of manufactories! How the great 
" Father of Waters" mighl here he made to "grind in the mill," to saw 
and plane, and spin and weave ! A distinguished member of the Topo- 
graphical Corps some time since calculated the effective power which 
maj be obtained, and found it sufficient to drive four hundred run of 
bum! One cannot but regret to see the difference between what might 
be, and whal really is done here. Capital alone is wanting to render it 
the greatest, and most valuable water-power in the whole country. I 
understand some steps have been taken for the formation of a company 
with capital sufficient to make all desirable improvements, and rendei; the 



17 

entire power effective. The present proprietors, I am told, are willing to 
enter into an arrangement of that kind, and will put in the whole pro- 
perty, consisting of the power, some adjacent land and buildings, for a 
reasonable consideration. It is to be hoped this proposition will attract 
the attention of capitalists. 

Under existing arrangements there are some drawbacks to the use of 
this power. During periods of very high water, it is not always available, 
and sometimes, on the breaking up of winter, the river becomes gorged 
with ice below the Island, when the back-water stops the wheels. Another 
difficulty of occasional occurrence is this : when the river is very low in 
Winter, the pond above the dam freezes up so thoroughly as to prevent 
the passage of a sufficiency of water to turn the machinery. I have heard 
it conjectured, also, that in time the pond will fill up with sand, and thus 
the whole body of the river will be forced into the channel on the Iowa 
side ; and some again suppose that the channel on the Illinois side, at the 
lower point of the Island, will become filled in with sand so as to reduce 
the extent of the fall. But none of these difficulties, drawbacks and con- 
jectures are of a magnitude not to be overcome by a judicious use of 
capital, except one— the freezing up of the pond in low water. That 
objection I do not see any way of surmounting, though it is by no means 
certain that genius and enterprise may not yet discover some method for 
overcoming it. Those who use the power inform me they can very 
confidently reckon upon from two hundred and seventy-five to three 
hundred running days in the year. Last winter operations were not 
kfd at all by ice, and it is very seldom indeed that the machinery has 
to stand still from this cause.* 

I need not enlarge upon the profits which must flow from judiciously 
managed manufacturing establishments in this vicinity. All that I said 
of the city of Rock Island in a previous letter, in this regard, will apply 
quite as well to Moline. A large scope of country must concentrate its 
business at this crossing of the Mississippi, unless compelled to look else- 
where from the lack of proper exertions to secure it here. Good judg- 
ment, capital, skill and industry, to any extent, cannot tail of meeting an 



* Since the above was published in the Democratic Press, a Moline correspondent 
of the Mock Island Republican has furnished that paper with the following critique, 
which we very gladly append : 

"The editor of the Chicago Democratic Press made some misstatements (uninten- 
tionally, no doubt,) about our place. The water power is not affected, as he stated, 
by gorges, etc. ■ In fact the only drawback to the water power, and to the place, has 
been the insufficiency of the dam, and the inefficient control of the power. The first 
of these evils is now remedied, and we have a good substantial clam. The second is 
likely to be obviated bv a Joint Stock Company now forming." 

3 



18 

appropriate reward. Nature lias been unusually lavish of her bounties in 
this vicinity, and it is only necessary that these should be duly appreciated 
and employed, to render Rock Island and its surrounding towns one of 
the most important business centres west of Chicago. 



NUMBER VI. 



Country from Rock Island to Moline — Splendid Sites for Resi- 
dences — The Moline Manufactories in detail — Water and Steam 
Agencies — Recapitulation — Evidences of Thrift — Character of 
the People for Intelligence, Sobriety and Industry. 

Moline, III, Oct. 26, 1853. 

From the city of Rock Island to Moline, the road lies along the bank 
of the liver, in the plain below the bluffs. These bluffs rise to a consid- 
erable elevation, and from their summits are afforded fine views of the 
river, of the neighboring towns and of the country on either bank. Many 
charming building spots may be selected upon the slopes of these emi- 
nences, and I was not surprised to find that a high estimate is placed 
upon them, for that reason. Some very tasteful residences Lave already 
been erected between the two towns; and, unless I am very much mis- 
taken in my estimate of the future of this region, all those beautiful slopes 
will be thus occupied ere many years elapse. The Chicago and Rock 
bland road lies also at the foot of these bluffs, having descended from the 
tabic lands, some miles ab. >ve. As Moline is approached from the west, 
the hills to the right draw in towards the river, and at Moline they lie 
immediately in the rear of the town, which feature adds much to its 
picturesque appearance. The village is built upon the plain below; but 
by and by it will begin to climb the hill-sides, and take on airs, such as 
its most pretending citizens have hardly yet conceived of. Thus it is with 
both men and towns, when they "get up a little in the world." 

In my la>t I gave some general accounts of the remarkable water power 
of this plac< — the present letter 1 purpose devoting mainly to some 
accounl of its manufacturing establishments. The tirst wants of a new 
country are houses to live in, material to enclose farms, and mills for 
grinding breadstuffs. The reader, therefore, will not be surprised to learn 
thai most of tlie manufacturing establishments of Moline are designed to 

' < these wants. Saws and burrs preponderate greatly over every other 

description of machinery. But 1 will come at once to detail. 



19 

On the northern side of the Island, near its head, is a small water power 
entirely independent of the one already described ; and I will commence 
with the establishment located there. This consists of a saw and planing 
mill, supplied with an engine, to be used when the water power, from any 
cause, is not available. It is owned by Sears, Wood & Huntoon ; four- 
teen men are employed in and about it ; and the average sales from the 
establishment amount to $80,000 per year. The landing for Moline is in 
the vicinity of these mills. 

Coming over to the south side of the Island, we find several establish- 
ments situated there in connection with the principal power. The first is 
the planing mill and shingle manufactory of W. H. Whitmore, in which 
are employed five men, and the average sales are $15,000. Next is the 
'establishment of Messrs. Dimock & Gould, for the manufacture of wooden 
buckets (pails), tubs, bedsteads, chair and other turned stuff. Four hun- 
dred thousand feet of lumber is annually consumed by this establishment. 
It turns out 1,000 doz. buckets per week, which are sold at from $2.50 to 
$3 per dozen. A bucket is made " in almost no time," machinery being 
employed to do everything about it except fastening the rivets and paint- 
ing. The number of men employed is twenty-five, and the annual sales 
amount to $40,000. A little farther on is the establishment of Messrs. 
Stevens, Gault & Ruggles, for the manufacture of barrel staves, barrels, 
shingles, sash, doors and window blinds. The machinery turns out five 
thousand shingles and two thousand barrel staves per hour. Twenty men 
find employment here, and the sales amount to $23,000 per year. Lastly, 
on this side, is the saw and lath mill of S. H. White, which runs five 
saws, employs twenty hands, and does a business amounting to $39,000 
per annum. 

Crossing over to the main shore, we come upon another group of man- 
ufactories, which I proceed to notice, without reference to any particular 
order : Saw and lath mill of Chamberlain & Dean, runs five saws, employs 
sixteen hands ; annual sales, $45,000. Saw and grist mill of Pitts, Gil- 
bert & Pitts — the grist mill being for custom work, exclusively — one run 
of burrs ; also, Merchant Flouring Mill, owned by same firm, four run of 
burrs, with capacity for turning out one thousand barrels of flour per 
week. The two establishments give employment to thirty men, and the 
joint annual sales amount to $175,000. Plow manufactory of John Deere, 
an extensive establishment of the kind — turns out all descriptions of steel 
plows — gives employment to twenty-two men; annual sales, $36,000. 
Lastly, the paper mill of Messrs. Wheelock & Fergus — works twelve men, 
and turns out paper worth $24,000 per annum. 

So much for the machinery driven by water power. Now let us see 



20 

what that more universally employed agency — steam — is doing in Moline. 
First, in point of importance, is the establishment of Alonzo Nourse, for 
the manufacture of almost everything wanted by the farmer — fanning 
mills, corn shellers, horse rakes, meat and milk safes, churns and chain 
pumps. This is an extensive establishment, and its proprietor is one of 
those drive-ahead, energetic men who is bound to succeed in whatever he 
undertakes. It furnishes constant employment for twenty-three men, and 
the value of its manufactured articles is $20,000 per year. The next 
establishment belongs to Mason & Osborne, and is for the manufacture of 
sash, doors, blinds and frames. It is unquestionably a well-conducted 
concern, gives work to twelve men, and turns out $15,000 worth of mate- 
rial annually. On the floor beneath is an establishment for irregular or 
eccentric turning, such as axe-handles, spokes, and any and everything of 
an irregular shape. It is owned by Sedgewicks & Barnard, furnishes 
employment to four men, and does business to the extent of $2,500 per 
annum. Lastly, immediately across the street from the foregoing, is the 
Windsor Chair Manufactory of J. Waggoner, working six men, and selling 
$6,000 worth of chairs per annum. [By the way, Mr. W. will give liberal 
wages and constant employment to two chairmakers and one finisher. If 
there be any such out of employment who may read this article, they will 
know how to profit by it.] To embrace this whole subject in shorter 
compass, I give the following recapitulation, showing the number of oper- 
atives and the extent of business done in the manufacturing establishments 
of Moline : 

OPERATIVES. YEARLY BUSINESS. 

Sears, Wood & Huntoon, 14 $80,000 

W. C. Whitmore, 5 15,000 

Dimock & Gould, 25 40,000 

Stevens, Gault & Ruggles, .... 20 23,000 

S. 11. White, 20 39,000 

Chamberlain & Dean, 16 45,000 

Pitts, Gilbert & Pitts, 30 175,000 

John Deere, ' 22 36,000 

Wheelock & Fergus, 12 24,000 

Alonzo Nourse, 23 20,000 

Mason & Osborne, 12 15,000 

Sedgewicks & Barnard, 4 2,500 

J. Waggoner, 6 6,000 

*Total, 209 $520,500 

* The same correspondent of the Rock Maud Republican, to whom reference was 
made in a previous note, says these iigures are not strictly correct — some of them 
being too high and some too low. The writer of the letters has only to say, that he 
gave the amounts as obtained from the proprietors of the different establishments. 



* 21 

This is a snug little sum for a single town, and when we add there are 
several stores here which appear to he doing a thriving business, and all 
the smaller occupations common to country villages are conducted with 
more or less activity, is it a wonder that the gentleman alluded to in my 
previous letter was surprised to find a Water street merchant, in Chicago, 
totally ignorant of the whereabouts and whatabouts of Moline ? 

There are unmistakable evidences of thrift all about this interesting 
village. Everybody is driving ahead. During my stay I saw not a single 
homo of the genus Loafer. I think no such character would be tolerated 
in Moline. No liquor is sold in the place, and I saw no indications of any 
being consumed there. The operatives are an intelligent class of people. 
More papers are said to be taken at the Moline post office tban in many 
places of double its size. Everybody reads ; and when it is added that 
they will all read the Democratic Press hereafter, what more need be — 
what more could be said in their favor ? A higher eulogy need not be 
desired. 

Perhaps \\ would interest some readers to learn the rate of water rents 
in Moline. The price, I believe, is the same for all kinds of business, viz : 
fifty cents per year per inch — that is so say, a flume admitting the passage 
of a stream equal to one thousand inches, would rent for 8500 per year. 
In conclusion, I wish to acknowledge my obligations for courtesies tendered 
me by the good people of Moline. Especially am I indebted to Messrs. 
J. M. Gould, Alonzo Nourse and James Fergus, for their aid in procuring 
the facts I have detailed above. I must also say a word at parting for 
John Lusk, a most estimable and accommodating man, who does good 
service to the people of Moline and Rock Island by running a hack regu- 
larly between the two places. I wish him success in his enterprise, because 
he is worthy of it. 



NUMBER VII. 



An Egotistical Paragraph — City of Davenport — Picturesque Lo- 
cation — A Reminiscence — Ride to the Country — Mississippi and 
Missouri Railroad — Prospective Trade between Iowa and Chi- 
cago. 

Davenport, Iowa, Oct. 27, 1853. 
I have a veneration for the mighty river which lies at the foot of this 
young city. Almost within sound of its rushing current, the light of day 



22 

first broke upon my vision. With it are connected all the associations of 
my earlier years. Often in childhood have I stood upon its shore, and 
watched the flow of its eddying tide, and wondered whence came the 
perpetual succession of its waves, and to what mighty reservoir they cease- 
lessly tended. And often, too, of long winter evenings, have I beguiled 
the passing hours in listening to the stirring stories of the " Old Boatmen" 
— a race no longer extant — of the perils they encountered in "the trip to 
New Orleans ;" of the sinking of " Broadhorns," of the swimming ashore 
of the crew ; of " sawyers" and sand-bars ; of life upon Louisiana planta- 
tions; and of fearful affrays with the desperadoes — half Spanish, half 
French — of the Southern cities. Away to the south of where I now call 
up these reminiscences, upon a bold headland which overlooks the river, 
reposes the sleeping dust of my ancestry. " Life's fitful fever over, they 
sleep well" by this mighty river, and in the midst of scenes which their 
own strong arms, their unconquerable will and undaunted resolution 
assisted in reclaiming from the dominion of Nature and the unprofitable 
sway of the Red Man's sceptre. A little farther south one of my name fell 
in a single-handed encounter with a band of the foe, who had tracked him 
through the wilderness, when passing from one settlement to another, 
surrounded his camp by night, overpowered him with numbers, and left 
his mutilated and lifeless body there for the not more savage monsters of 
the forest to feed upon. Never do I come within sight of this river that 
my mind is not overswept by a rushing flood of memories of the olden 
time, recalling my childhood's earliest hours, my family history, and all 
the fond and terrible recollections connected with a frontier residence, in 
the days when privation marked the daily life of the pioneer, and indom- 
itable courage and resolute endurance alone sustained it. What wonder, 
then, that 1 have a veneration for the Mississippi! But enough, perhaps 
too much, of this. 

Davenporl impresses a stranger favorably. At least such is my expe- 
rience ; and I find that, as my stay is protracted, the beauty of its location 
grows steadily upon me, while my intercourse with its citizens gives me a 
high opinion of their character for intelligence, enterprise, and courtesy to 
visitors. The blutls approach nearer the river on the west bank than on 
the opposite shore, so that a large part of the town is built upon their 
slopes, and many of the highest eminences are crowned by handsome 
residences. Business, of course, is confined to the plain below, and is 
gradually extending its area in a line parallel with the river. For facilities 
of drainage, no place that 1 have ever seen excels it. Indeed, the hand of 
Nature' has accomplished that work for most of the city. The original 
town is upon a plain which gradually slopes away from the river to the 



23 

foot of the bluffs, and the grading of the streets is all that is requisite to 
secure a perfect drainage in this section. As the city extends -westward, 
down the river, the plain approaches nearer a level, and here more labor 
will be necessary to construct the requisite drains. But this can be done 
easily and at a comparatively small cost. 

The city of Davenport was originally laid out in 1836, by Antoine Le 
Claike, Esq., and the first sale of lots took place the same year. As an 
illustration of the manner in which fortunes are sometimes made and lost, 
•i reminiscence of those days will prove interesting. After the purchase, 
by treaty with the Sac and Fox Indians, of the lands in this part of Iowa, 
and before they had been brought into market for entry, Dr. Spencer, now 
of Rock Island, and a Mr. McCloud, then in the employ of Mr. Le Claire, 
each laid " claim" to the quarter section upon which the original town of 
Davenport now stands. To prevent the unpleasant, and sometimes tragical, 
results growing out of difficulties originating in conflicting claims upon the 
frontier, the parties submitted the case to arbitration. After hearing testi- 
mony, it was decided that the contestants should each sell out to a third 
party ; and as Mr. Le Claire was the moneyed man of that region, in those 
days, he was selected to be the purchaser, and he paid Messrs. Spencer and 
McCloud $15 each for their claims — to their entire satisfaction, I presume. 
At the first sale of lots in 1836, very fair prices were paid — higher than 
could be obtained a little later, when the monetary revulsion had prostrated 
almost every interest of the country. 

Yesterday, in company with Col. Mix, of Dubuque, and S. R. Millar, 
Esq., editor of the Democratic Banner, I made an excursion to the country 
back of this city. We rode some ten or fifteen miles over the high rolling- 
prairies, and I can scarcely trust myself to speak of the extreme beauty 
and fertility of the region we traversed. Every foot of ground we passed 
over or saw is susceptible of profitable culture. Farms are being rapidly 
opened, and young orchards are beginning to demonstrate the adaptation 
of both soil and climate. to fruit-growing. 

Our road lay close by the route of the Mississippi and Missouri Rail- 
road, and we found a large amount of grading had been done, and some 
two or three hundred hands engaged upon the work. This road, as the 
continuation of the Chicago and Rock Island road, is one in which our 
citizens are greatly interested. It is opening up a country of unsurpassed 
natural resources to the trade of our city. Of the value and extent of its 
commerce, after it shall have been subjected to cultivation, I will not 
hazard an estimate, lest those who have not seen the country might sus- 
pect me of a design of over-stating the importance of the road to Chicago, 
and of the profitable character of the enterprise as an investment for 



24 

capital. But I would that every citizen who is skeptical in relation to the 
matter, could enjoy the same opportunity for thorough conviction which 
I have had for the past day or two. 

This letter is more discursive than I had designed making it; but I am 
so comfortably housed and cared for by the gentlemanly and accommo- 
dating hosts, Messrs. Lowry & Brother, of the Le Claire House, that I 
shall be in no hurry to depart ; and will, therefore, have further oppor- 
tunities of speaking more fully and to the point touching this city, the 
country about it, and the diversified interests which cluster here. This 
must do for the present. 



NUMBER VIII. 



Difficult Navigation — Delay of Travel and of Merchandise — The 
"Good Time" close at hand — First Impulse already felt — Growth 
of Davenport — Antoine Le Claire, Esq. — First Locomotive in 
Iowa. 

Davenport, Iowa, Oct. 28, 1853. 
This city, like its neighbor across the river, is suffering just now the 
annoyance of not having a reliable and Bpeedy means of communication 
with the outside world. The stage of water in the Mississippi is so low 
that but very few boats indeed attempt to ascend the lower rapids, and 
these carry but little freight, and are subjected to so many delays in 
making the passage, that but few travelers embark upon them. Passen- 
from this place to St. Louis prefer, in many instances, taking the 
stage to Keokuk, and some go across to Sheffield, and thence by railroad 
via Lasalle and Bloomington. 1 find that most of the travel from North- 
ern Iowa to the South goes by the way of Chicago, in preference to the 
river route. Freights to St. Louis are excessively dear; but the price 
would be submitted to cheerfully could there be any certainty as to the 
receipt of goods. I am told that all the warehouses at Keokuk are full 
of goods for the country above the rapids, and that large quantities are 
piled up under temporary sheds. Present prospects are that these goods 
will either lie over where they are, until Spring, or be wagoned from 
Keokuk to their destination. Whilesuch are the facts in regard to the 
receipt of merchandise, it is equally difficult to forward the surplus pro- 
ducts of the country to market. Freights eai up the principal value ; 



25 

besides which, when a shipment is made, there is no certainty that it 
will reach its destination before the setting in of winter. 

It is not wonderful, therefore, that Davenport, and indeed all that region 
of country north of the lower rapids, should watch the approach ot rail- 
roads from Chicago with deep solicitude. Henceforth, these are to be the 
chief dependence for travel and for commerce. In Summers heat, when 
the rocks of the Mississippi come to the surface, like so many huge mon- 
sters of the deep in search of prey — in Winter's snows, when the " Frost- 
King" has bridged the river, in defiance of the statute concerning navi- 
gable streams — under any and all vicissitudes of time and climate, the 
" iron river" and the " iron boat" will be to these people a sure reliance, 
an ever-present facility for travel and transportation of products, and a 
source of constantly-accumulating wealth. Already has the impulse of 
its earh- coming imparted new energy and enterprise throughout this 
whole region. In Davenport are its effects especially visible, in the rapid 
growth of the city, the activity of its citizens, and the improvements in 
progress in the country around. I am told that between three and four 
hundred buildings have been erected here during the present year. Some 
of these are tasteful and costly residences, that would be creditable to our 
largest cities. Some fine business houses are included in the number ; 
and last, though not least, I notice a stone edifice going up on a com- 
manding eminence, designed for a Free School. This building, I under- 
stand, will cost, when complete, some six or seven thousand dollars. I 
could not, while examining its plan, and standing upon the high ground 
which it occupies, but admire the good judgment and taste which deter- 
mined its location. From its windows, the eyes of the youth who obtain 
their early lessons within it will behold a picture of most enchanting 
loveliness. Davenport, Rock Island, Moline, the Old Fort, the Great 
River and its numerous islands, the high grounds on the opposite side, 
the passing steamer, the thundering train of cars — all these will be seen 
at a single glance. What associations of beauty, of Avealth and greatness, 
of the triumphs of genius over the elements of Nature, will connect with 
the school-boy recollections of those for whom this free school is building, 
when years shall have transferred them from its halls to the walks and 
duties of an active manhood ! 

Yesterday, in company with a friend, I paid my respects to Antoine 
Le Claire, Esq., the original proprietor of this city. We found him just 
recovering from a recent illness, but able to receive company and interest 
them with his stores of knowledge concerning the early history of the 
country. Mr. Le Claire's conversational faculties are of a high order — 
4 



26 

bis recollection of past events vivid and accurate — and his hospitality and 
courtesy to strangers are such as to endear him to all who have the good 
fortune to make his acquaintance. He is, perhaps, the wealthiest man in 
the State, and, unlike too many in his position, he makes a good use of 
his riches. Davenport is largely indebted to him for her present pros- 
perity. The " Le Claire House," the best hotel I know of west of Chi- 
cago, and the remainder of the fine brick block of stores and offices, 
extending from street to street, is but one of the evidences of his enterprise 
and public spirit. When it was proposed to extend the Chicago and 
Rock Island Railroad across the State of Iowa, Mr. Le Claire subscribed 
twenty-five thousand dollars to the capital stock, and gave up his own 
homestead to accommodate the company with grounds for their depot 
near the bridge. This gentleman has been for a long while intimately 
identified with our Government in its intercourse with the Indians of the 
North- West. From 1816 to 1836, he was constantly in its employ; and 
during this time, in the capacity of Interpreter, he attended the officers of 
our Government in some ten or twelve important treaties. Speaking both 
English and French with fluency, familiar also with a dozen or more 
Indian dialects — his mother being the grand-daughter of a chief, and his 
wife the descendant of another — his influence with the Indians has been 
greater, perhaps, than that of any other man; and his services have, 
consequently, been of much value to the United States. His present 
residence stands upon the identical spot which was occupied by the 
marquee of (!en. Scott, during the treaty held here in 1832 with the Sac 
and Fox Indians. The cholera was prevailing at that time among the 
soldiers in the Fort, and the treaty, instead of being held on the Island, 
was, from prudential considerations, transferred to the main shore, though 
not outside of the range of the guns of the Fort. It was in this marquee 
that the chief of the Sacs made a present of a mile square of land to Mrs. 
Le Claire, and, striking his foot upon the turf, told Mr. Le Claire that the 
only condition he asked was, that he should build his house upon that 
spot — a condition that was speedily complied with. The. Potowatomies 
also gave to Mr. Le Claire a mile square of land where the town of 
Moline now stands, which he afterwards sold at one dollar and a quarter 
per a<re. 

What a history this man's life would make! How many and how 
great, the changes that have passed over this great North-West since first 
he came to dwell here, nearly forty years ago! He has seen them all, 
and still is a hale and vigorous man, bidding fair to live many years 
longer. We should like to be with him upon the entrance of the first 



27 

locomotive into his State. We hope we shall be. It will be a proud day 
for all Iowa, but especially so for him. That locomotive anil bear his 
name, and the lineaments of his countenance will be indelibly imjjressed 
upon it. 



NUMBER IX. 



Advance in Real Estate — Sales and Asking Prices — Prospective 
Lumber Trade — Manufactures — Immigration — East Davenport 
— Recapitulation and Prediction. 

Davenport, Iowa, Oct. 30, 1853. 
The forward state of the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad, and the 
commencement, under highly flattering auspices, of the Mississippi and 
Missouri road, have produced a very decided change in the prospects of 
this city, and greatly enhanced the value of property. Indeed, through- 
out the whole region of which Rock Island is the centre, that is within 
" striking distance" of this important line of road, the same remark is 
true. I hear of many large transactions in real estate — some of them not 
very far behind those so common in Chicago for the last year or two. 
Parties from abroad, impressed with the future importance of this vicinity, 
have made large investments. A well known gentleman from St. Louis 
has purchased property in this city, in Rock Island, in Moline and the 
adjacent country, to the extent of seventy thousand dollars. I doubt not 
the wisdom which dictated his course — he will certainly reap a handsome 
profit from it. I may state more specifically, that within a short time 
sales have been made in this city and vicinity as follows : A farm of 110 
acres, nearly a mile from the river, and perhaps one and a half miles from 
the business portion of the city, was sold by Col. Eads, the owner, for 
$10,000. For a smaller lot of ground adjoining the above, but nearer the 
city, $150 per acre was refused. A ten-acre lot, adjoining the above, brought 
$200 per acre cash. On the east of the city, fronting the river, Mr. Le 
Claire sold the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad Company eleven acres 
for depot grounds, engine house, etc., for $15,000. In the business part 
of the city, unimproved lots, 150 feet deep, can be had at from $20 to 
$30 per foot. Lots for residences can be obtained at $8 to $12 per foot. 
Lands adjoining the city limits are held at $200 to $500 per acre ; within 
a mile of the city limits, at $80 to $200 per acre; within five miles, at 



28 

|10 i" $35 fur improved lands, and at $4 to |15 for unimproved ; within 
ten miles, unimproved lands, $3 to *7 ; and from ten to twenty miles, at 
§2.50 to $5. 

This city is destined to become an important lumber mart. The Mis- 
sissippi and Missouri Railroad will pass through a country in which timber 
is not very abundant, and Large quantities of boards, lath and shingles will 
be wanted in improving it for settlement. The pineries of the Upper Mis- 
sissippi will furnish the requisite supply, and here must be the point of 
trans-shipment, and much of it must be manufactured here also. At pre- 
sent there are but two saw mills in operation. One of them is owned by 
S. Burnell ; and, in addition to sawing, the business of planing, turning, 
and the manufacture of various kinds of machinery, is carried on in it, 
giving employment to forty men. The other is owned by Renwick & 
Jordan, and furnishes labor for twenty men. Both establishments are 
operated to the full extent of their capacity, and turn out a large amount 
of work. Messrs. Coates & Davis have an extensive establishment for 
planing and the manufacture of doors, sash, frames, etc. — one of the best 
establishments of the kind I know of. Thirty laborers are employed in it. 
There will soon be a call for a large addition to the capital employed in 
these branches of business, for reasons which I have more than once stated 
in the course of these letters. 

I find hut three other manufacturing establishments in operation in the 
city. The Iron and Brass Foundery and Machine Shop of Messrs. Le 
Claire, Davenport & Co. is an extensive and well-appointed establishment, 
working twenty-five men. It has just been rebuilt, having been almost^ 
entirely destroyed by tire but a few weeks ago. Bechtel, Kinsey & Co. 
have an establishment for the manufacture of steel-clipper plows, of which 
they make a very superior article. Twelve laborers arc employed in it, 
and plows to the value of §15,000 are annually turned out. Messrs. Bur- 
rows A: Prettyman do an extensive, and, I imagine, a profitable business 
in the manufacture of flour. Their mill consists of four run of burrs, and 
has capacity for turning out from 1*75 to 200 barrels every twenty-four 
hours. Twenty-five men are employed about the mills. All the fore- 
going establishments are operated by steam. Wood is worth from $2.50 
to -V-'; per cord ; and coal, 12-^ to 15 cents per bushel. The saw and 
planing mills are supplied with fuel from the refuse and shavings of the 
establishments. 

There is no reason why various other manufactures might not be suc- 
cessfully ami profitably introduced here. The wants of the country, if I 
mistake not, already require more; and in no State of the Union are those 
want- more rapidly multiplying than in Iowa. The flood of immigration, 



29 

now flowing into the Western States, sets with a stronger current towards 
Iowa than to any of her sisters. The accession to her population from 
this source is almost incredible. Figures which I have recently seen lead 
me to estimate the entries of public lands in this State, during the current 
year, at about two and a half million of acres — the most of which has 
been purchased for occupancy. What an impetus such an accession to 
the wealth and industry of Iowa will give to business of every description ! 
And especially will its effects be felt in the towns upon the west bank of 
the Mississippi, which are about to connect themselves with the interior 
by railroad. Commerce, in its passage from the West to the East, baits 
as it strikes the great water courses of the country ; and wherever this 
occurs, there, of necessity, springs into existence an important business 
centre. It is well to be prepared to take the greatest possible advantage 
of those unerring and invariable laws by which the affairs of the world 
are regulated. As respects fuel for the production of steam-power, this 
city is favorably situated. The western rim of the Illinois coal basin is 
but a few miles distant on the one hand, and tbe great Iowa coal basin, 
containing nearly sixteen millions of acres, approaches to within a few 
miles on the other. Both the Rock Island and the Mississippi and Mis- 
souri Railroad can be employed in laying coal down at her doors. 

Riding a few miles up the river yesterday, in company with A. C. Ful- 
ler, Esq., one of the most enterprising and successful men in this vicinity, 
I was greatly surprised to come suddenly upon a beautiful village shel- 
tered in the hills upon the banks of the river. I had not previously heard 
of the existence of this place, and it broke upon my sight with the sud- 
denness of a stroke of magic. It is called East Davenport, being about 
one mile from this city, and half a mile from where the railroad buildings 
are to be erected. The village, I am told, was laid out some two years 
since by Mr. Hildreth, and already numbers a population of two hundred. 
It contains a steam saw mill, a pork house, brick yards, blacksmiths' and 
carpenters' shops, and a large flouring mill is being erected. A good 
steamboat landing adds to the business advantages of the place. An 
addition to the town has recently been laid out by Mr. Churchill, of Utica, 
N. Y. Within a few years, East Davenport will doubtless be merged into 
the city of that name. The country between is high and rolling, and 
presents many choice spots for residences. One of the most beautiful of 
these is being improved by Mr. Fulton, who is erecting upon it a splendid 
mansion of stone, at a cost of some ten or twelve thousand dollars. 

One more letter, which shall be devoted mainly to the Island around 
which are arranged the groupings I have so faintly and inadequately 
daguerreotyped for the readers of the Press, must close my series from 



30 

this highly interesting locality. I could wish that my work wore more 
worthily done ; but such as it is, those for whom it was undertaken have 
it, and must judge of it. I cannot close the present letter better than by 
a reference to the present population of the towns clustered around Rock 
Island, coupled with a prediction as to what it must shortly become. The 
following are the figures : 

Population of Davenport, 5,200 

" Rock Island, 4,000 

" Moline, 1,600 

" Camden, 300 

" East Davenport, 200 

Total, 11,200 

Those who have carefully noted the contents of my preceding letters — 
the peculiar advantages which these various towns enjoy — the superior 
character of the country in which they are situated, and who are also 
cognizant of the vast flood of immigration which is constantly flowing 
into it, bringing wealth and industry, and the capacity for increasing the 
former indefinitely, must be impressed with the belief that no ordinary 
destiny is in store for this region. My expectations may not be realized ; 
may be too sanguine; may be formed upon data inadequate for correct 
deductions in a matter involving so many contingencies — but I have tried 
to inform myself fully upon all questions having a direct or remote bear- 
ing upon the subject ; and my convictions are, that when, ten years hence, 
myself, or some other overworked editor, comes here for a few day's relax- 
ation from labor, and to woo back impaired health — to seek mental and 
physical buoyancy in the midst of scenes of surpassing loveliness, and to 
be fanned by the fresh breezes winch play about the headlands over- 
looking the "Father of "Waters" — he will find a large city on either side 
of the river, Rock Island the scat of more than a hundred villas, each 
adorned with all that wealth and taste can command; aud the perpetual 
hum <>f industry and business that will greet his ears will be such as goes 
up when a hundred thousand people are congregated together. That is 
my prediction — it is upon record. 



31 



NUMBER X. 

Proceeding from the Circumference to the Centre — Rock Island — 
Fort Armstrong — Timber Destroyed by Fire — Island should pass 
into Private Ownership — Should be Sold in small lots — Summer 
Residences — Bridging the Mississippi — Old Precedents to give 
place to the Wants of the Age — Good Bye. 

Davenport, Iowa, Oct. 31, 1853. 

I come now to speak of the centre around which I have arranged my 
groupings of this region — Rock Island. Perhaps it would have been 
more artistic had I commenced with the central attraction, and thence 
proceeded to the striking points which lie around it, but circumstances 
were more favorable to a first survey of the " Surroundings ;" and as I 
make no pretension to the Artist's power, I thought it of but little conse- 
quence to inquire after the laws which govern him, and attempt their 
application to my unpretending, though certainly very truthful, burnings. 

Rock Island is about three miles in length, with an average breadth of 
half a mile, and contains, therefore, nearly one thousand acres. The 
rapids commence some twelve miles above it, and terminate at its foot. 
On the Illinois shore, Moline and the City of Rock Island are opposite its 
extreme endings ; and the City of Davenport and East Davenport occupy 
nearly the same relation to it on the Iowa side. At the foot of the Island 
stands old Fort Armstrong, built in 1816 by Col. Mason, U. S. A. Half 
a mile distant, on the north side of the Island, is the residence of the late 
Col. Davenport, of Avhose brutal murder, and the subsequent discovery, 
arrest aud execution of his murderers, the readers of the Press doubtless 
remember. These have constituted the only habitations upon the Island, 
until quite recently a number of small, though neat, tenements have been 
built upon the upper end of it, for the accommodation of operatives in the 
Moline manufactories. The Island is covered with a very dense growth 
of young timber — oak, hickory, ash, birch, etc. We learn from Mr. Le 
Claire that when he came to reside here, nearly forty years ago, the Island 
was covered with a forest of large trees. The soldiers stationed in the 
Fort, and the earlier settlers of the country, destroyed much of it for fuel 
and other purposes ; and finally fire was communicated to the deep bed 
of leaves which had accumulated there for ages, and swept the Island of 
its crowning glory. The present growth of timber dates its origin subse- 
quent to this fire. 

The Island, with the exception of a fractional quarter section of about 



32 

one hundred and fifty-five acres, which was given to Col. Davenport, 
belongs to the Government The motives which led to withholding it 
from sale, as long as Fort Armstrong was occupied and there remained 
a necessity for keeping an armed force in this vicinity, are evident enough. 
But the Fort was really abandoned in 1835, and the policy which has 
induced the Government to retain its hold upon this Island, since that 
period, is not so apparent. Numerous efforts have been made to obtain 
an order for its sale, and it is to be feared, in too many instances, with 
the view of securing the possession of it to a few favored individuals. 
Twice have such orders been issued by the proper department, but on 
both occasions the sale was not permitted to proceed. Under the circum- 
stances, it was well that it did not. This magnificent body of land, lying 
here in the midst of so much beauty, and surrounded by towns which bid 
fair to become the seat of an immense commerce, should not be permitted 
to fall into the hands of mere speculators. But the Island unquestionably 
should pass from public to private ownership. As it is, it answers no 
useful end to the Government or to individuals, and its being retained by 
(he former retards, in many ways, the prosperity of the neighboring towns 
and country. 

But how should it be sold ? In what subdivisions, and subject to what 
limitation of ownership? Certainly it ought not to be monopolized by 
soi no great money prince, who here might build his castle, and live in 
more than ancient Baronial splendor and isolation. The public sentiment 
here is decidedly averse, as it ought to be, to any arrangement that could 
lead to such a result. If the Government consults the wishes of the 
people who an- specially interested in the subject, these lands will be sold 
in small subdivisions. I have heard it suggested that the Island should 
be laid off into five or ten acre lots, with avenues and road-ways, and 
sold, after full and general notice, to the highest bidder. There are some 
eighl hundred acres, more or less, belonging to the Government. If the 
genera] wish, then 'fore, is complied with, and these lands l»e sold in quan- 
titiea as designated, or even in smaller lots, every foot of the Island would 
undoubtedly he occupied in a very short time. Citizens doing business 
in the surrounding towns would purchase here for private residences, and 
wealthy gentlemen from the South would be attracted hither with their 
families, by the matchless beauty of the scenery, and the salubrity of the 
climate, for Summer residence. Such a policy on the part of the Govern- 
ment would, I am convinced, soon cover this Island with charming villas, 
and render it a mosl delightful place of Summer resort. 

I have, in previous letters, made allusion to the railroad bridge that is 
to he thrown across the Mississippi here, connecting the Chicago and 



S3 

Rock Island and the Mississippi and Missouri roads. The bridge crosses 
the south channel to the Island, by three spans, of 150 feet each, requring 
two abutments and two piers, and making 476 linear feet of bridge. The 
bridge over the north, or Iowa channel, springs from the Island at a point 
a short distance below the Davenport residence, and strikes the Iowa 
shore nearly opposite Le Claire's house. There are seven spans on this 
side, five of which are 250 feet each, in the clear, and two of 120 feet 
each, for the draw. This requires two abutments, one turn-table pier and 
five ordinary piers — making 1,295 linear feet of bridge superstructure, 
and 283 linear feet of drawbridge superstructure. Mr. "Warner, one of 
the company having the contract for the mason work, is now here, 
making arrangements for an early commencement of this stupendous 
undertaking. Stone & Boomer, of Chicago, have the contract for the 
superstructure, which is to be of Howe's patent truss. The whole is to be 
completed by December, 1854. 

As a connecting link between the railroads which lie on the east and 
west of this great river, and as being on one of the ultimate thoroughfares 
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, it is hardly possible to over-estimate the 
importance of this bridge to the whole country. Efforts will doubtless be 
made to prevent its construction, by parties who will not be accommo- 
dated by it, but I entertain no doubt as to the result. A thoroughfare 
quite as important, at any season of the year, as that of the Mississippi, 
and of a hundred-fold more importance for nine months out of twelve, 
must be supposed to have some rights, some immunities, as well as a 
navigable water-course. If old precedents, established long before the 
steam-car had been thought of, are adverse to the rights of those great 
highways of commerce which are fast superceding the rivers, then we 
must have independent decisions made in accordance with the manifest 
wants and the common sense of the times. 

There are many topics of interest which suggest themselves to my mind 
in connection with this Island, but I must close. Long enough, perhaps 
too long, have I been lured away from the duties of the sanctum, by this 
charming region, and by the many kind friends I have met, who have 
almost overwhelmed me with their courtesies. Gladly would I say a few 
words of that old Fort, standing there as it does a most eloquent memo- 
rial of the struggles and hardships of our fathers who reclaimed this 
Western world from" savage sway — pleased would I be to sketch the pic- 
ture of perfect beauty which passed under my eye at a single glance, 
while standing upon the extreme western verge of the Island. But all 
these and much more that crowd upon my recollection demanding 
5 



34 

utterance, must be passed over for some future occasion, or, what is 
better, be left for the limning of some more skilful hand. My task is 
accomplished, and to-morrow I bid adieu to "Rock Island and its 
Surroundings." 



SHEFFIELD-BUREAU COUNTY. 



Sheffield — Sheffield Coal Company — Possessions of the Company 
and its Proposed Operations — Character of the Country — Cost 
of Lands — Immense Travel — Business of the Railroad — Shef- 
field House, etc. 

Sheffield, Oct. 20, 1853. 

Sheffield is situated upon the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad, one 
hundred and thirty-six miles from Chicago. It is the present Western 
_ terminus of that road, and the arrival and departure of trains from and to 
the East, and the coming and going of stages running Westward in con- 
nection with the road, give to the village an air of business and an amount 
of bustle that would do credit to a place of much greater pretension. At 
the hotel at which I am stopping, the number of guests averages from 
two hundred to four hundred per day. Twelve months ago there had not 
been a single board or stick of timber brought upon the site of Sheffield 
— now there are some fifteen or twenty buildings here, with others in 
process of erection. There are two hotels, four stores, blacksmith shops, 
carpenter shops, etc., etc. The village is situated upon a high eminence, 
in the prairie, about one fourth of a mile from " Coal Creek Timber," and 
commands a splendid view of the surrounding country. 

Coal Creek, as its name indicates, pusses through a coal field, the 
quality of which is said to be fully equal to any other in the State, and 
superior to most that has yet been discovered. A company has been 
organized for working it on an extensive scale, and it requires no prophet 
to foretell that Sheffield coal will shortly become a familiar term in Chicago 
coal yards. The following very responsible and enterprising gentlemen 
constitute the company: Henry Farnam, Chicago ; Joseph E. Sheffield, 
Hartford, Conn.; Wm. Jeivis, A. R. Gillmore and Isaac Cook, Chicago; 
Charles Atkinson, Moline ; James Grant, Geo. B. Sargent, E. Cook and J. 



35 

P. Cook, Davenport, Iowa ; Epes Sargent, James 0. Sargent and John O. 
Sargent, Roxbury, Mass. ; Ransom Gardner, Jonesville, Mich. ; and George 
Goss, Peru. Charles Atkinson is the resident Superintendent and Gen- 
eral Agent for the Company. In company with this gentleman, I made 
a hurried examination of the present mining operations of the Company. 
A drift has been made about one hundred yards into the bluff, on the 
west side of Coal Creek. The coal is overlaid with shale, wbich forms a 
very good roof for the drift. The vein is four and a half feet in thickness, 
dipping to the north and east sufficient to keep the drifts free from water. 
At present only a small force is employed in mining, but arrangements 
are being made by the Company to conduct the business on a large scale. 
The first coal from these mines for Chicago will leave here to-morrow, and 
will consist of three car loads — about thirty tons. 

The present mining operations are near half a mile from the railroad, 
and the coal is drawn that distance by teams. The Company design, 
however, to lay down a side track, by which means they will be able to 
run their coal cars to the very entrance of the pits.* The Company have 
purchased over 1,500 acres of land, the most of which is underlaid with 
coal, while the surface is unsurpassed for agricultural purposes. A portion 
of the land contains a valuable grove of timber, but the most of it is high 
rolling prairie. It has cost them from ten to fifteen dollars per acre, and 
beneath it there is coal enough to furnish one hundred tons per day for 
one hundred years. The village of Sheffield is situated upon the lands of 
the Coal Company, and they are at present selling lots at very low prices 
to those who will improve them. I learn they have disposed of some forty 
lots at prices ranging from $40 to Si 25 each. 

The country traversed by the Rock Island road from the point where 
it leaves the valley of Bureau Creek, until it approaches the town of 
Geneseo, in Henry county, is off the line of public roads, and consequently 
is but thinly settled. From the high ground on which Sheffield stands, 
only here and there can be seen a farm house to break the monotony of 
prairie scenery. But a few years will make great changes in this respect. 
The rich soil, the undulating character of the country, the contiguity of 
an inexhaustible supply of coal, and the facilities for market which 
the railroad furnishes, will cause this entire region to fill up rapidly with 
enterprising farmers. Many purchases have been made in this vicinity 

* Since the above was written, the Company have changed their plan of operations 
in regard to mining. Having discovered that the coal vein is at its lowest level near 
the railroad, they are now putting down a mine track on an inclined plane, so as to 
elevate the coal, by a steam engine, to a level fifteen feet above the railroad — by which 
means the coal cars will be dumped directly into the railroad cars, ready to be shipped 
to any point East or West 



36 

quite recently by those who design opening farms. Lands are held va- 
riously ;ii from $2.50 to $15 per acre. There is none left for entry at 
Congress prices. 

I have never witnessed a more striking exemplification of the fact that 
" railroads create business," than is presented by the Chicago and Rock 
Island Railroad. All the estimates that have been made, most of which 
were considered extravagant at the time, are found to be far short of the 
truth. This is true both as respects freights and passengers, but particu- 
larly of the latter. A weekly coach between Peru and Rock Island has 
sufficed to accommodate the travel heretofore. But now Mr. Frink is 
scarcely able to concentrate stock enough at this point to meet the de- 
mand. Yesterday evening, five large coaches were literally loaded down 
with passengers for Rock Island. The day before, five coaches and four 
hacks were filled. And this is but the repetition of what occurs every 
day. At Tiskilwa, yesterday, several coaches were filled from the cars 
with passengers for Henry, Peoria, Galesburg, and other points South. 
And so it goes, day after day, each making additions to the business of 
the preceding one. Last month, the business of the road was a little over 
$50,000 ; this month, I venture the prediction, it will fall but very little, 
if any, short of $75,000. There is scarcely running stock enough on it 
to accommodate the business which is pressing upon the Company at 
every station and depot. I learn that ample provision is being made 
for a large addition to present business when the cars shall have reached 
Rock Island. 

I cannot speak in too high terms of the Sheffield House, kept by E. D. 
Smith. Notwithstanding the house is crowded by day and by night, he 
continues to render the multitude much more comfortable than could be 
expected. His table is most bountifully provided at all times. A large 
addition to his house is now far advanced toward completion ; and, in a 
week or two more, will he ready for use. "When that is done, it will be a 
most delightful resort for those who may wish to escape from the din and 
dust of the city, to breathe tor a few days the fresh air of the country, 
and enjoy the scenery of Nature almost unmarred by the hand of 
improvement. 



ROCK ISLAND 



AND 



TS SURROUNDINGS, 



IN 18 53. 



CHICAGO: 

DEMOCRATIC PRESS STEAM PRINT, 45 CLARK STREET. 

1854. 



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